The day before her experimental single was released, local artist Mike Kota was announced in the lineup for this year’s Minnesota Yacht Club festival. The announcement comes two years after opening for Irish artist Hozier, the headliner for the festival.
After months of work on a new single produced by her friend Zak Khan, Michaela “Mike Kota” Stein released her venture into a new sound. “I’m Not Giving Up on You” builds on her musical inspirations of King Krule, Bon Iver and Imogen Heap.
“It’s kind of a freeing thing to realize that people could hate this,” Kota said. “There are people out there who can hate my music, but there’s also people who can think it’s the best fucking thing on earth.”
Kota’s interest in music started young, taking piano lessons at her mother’s request and playing in bands with her high school friends. Her band, Good Luck Finding Iris, gained popularity with its songs “Fool for You” and “Morning Crawls Towards You, And I.” Both reached over two million streams on Spotify.
“I didn’t stop. I kept pursuing and gaining skills, even if I didn’t know that’s what I was doing,” Kota said. “I feel like I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can begin.”
In 2023, Kota opened for the musician Hozier at a surprise popup concert at First Ave in Minneapolis. Kota was chosen by Hozier after he saw a viral TikTok of her performing a rendition of “Take Me to Church.”
“That was the biggest crowd I’ve played for, and I was definitely fearful, but the second I got on stage, I was consciously thinking in my head, ‘This is the new normal, just have fun,’” Kota said.
A feeling of angst and yearning inspires Kota lyrically.
“I use music as a way of reflection and healing,” Kota said. “It’s a cathartic experience for me, and I can really work through things that are bothering me and find a silver lining.”
This vulnerability is present in one of her most streamed songs from her EP “Turning a Corner.” It is also a favorite to play, as “Corner” allows each member of her band to shine.
“It’s a song where time fluctuates, speeding up and slowing down,” drummer Tarek Abdelqader said. “It really requires group listening and an empathetic style of playing. You have to be really present.”
Abdelqader joined the band after playing with Kota in a collaboration led by a mutual friend called The Cherry Pit. The two were placed in the same cohort of musicians and were tasked with putting together a set with the goal of making a band out of total strangers.
“I just remember being blown away right away by how she could get right to the heart of the music,” Abdelqader said.
This sentiment was echoed by lead guitarist Nate Walker, who had been a fan of Kota before playing with her.
“I always thought she was so cool. I still think she’s pretty darn cool,” Walker said. “I play with a lot of different artists, I’ve been lucky to do that. And every time I play with (Kota), she just blows me away.”
In July, Kota and her band will take the stage at the festival, performing alongside Hozier again as well as Fallout Boy, Weezer and Green Day, to name a few.
